Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • D3

De Heral Sa turday, June 2, 2018 D3 1 Custom obituaries, which are printed exactly as submitted with no editing, must be emailed to or submitted at www.herald-review.com/ ribute Funeral home or crematory information must be included on submitted obituaries. Obituaries must be received in the office by 1 p.m. a ssociated fees include 10 copies of the newspaper containing the full obituary. hose copies can be picked up at the Herald view, 601 illiam ecatur. he obituary desk is open from 8 a.m.

to 1 p.m. daily. Call (217) 421-7969 or 1-800-453-3639 or fax to (217) 421-7965. In addition to print and online, obituaries also are listed on the Herald Facebook page. OBITUARIES DEATHS LISTED BALLENGER Tamala, Clinton BEAN Teddy Decatur BLAND Debra Denise, Pana DILIBERTO Rena Ruth, Clinton DIXON Rodney Eugene, Decatur GARVER V.

Maxine, Cerro Gordo HAMPTON Bettie, Decatur HASTINGS Michael Cerro Gordo KECK Dorothy, Decatur MENDENALL Paul Decatur SCHMIDT Reba Irene, Decatur TAYLOR Percilla, Decatur THORNELL Steven Ray, Decatur TONNIGES Gale Decatur WELLS Ronda Gail, Decatur Bland CLINTON Tamala Ballenger 62 of Clinton, Illinois passed away 1:22 A.M. May 31, 2018 at Decatur Memorial Hospital, Decatur, Il. Private graveside services will be Tuesday, June 5, 2018 with J. Kent Hickerson officiating. Visitation will be 2 4 PM, Sunday, June 3, 2018 at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, IL.

Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society. Tami was born February 25, 1956 in Bloomington, IL the daughter of Calvin and Donelda (Haycraft) Karr. She married Bob Ballenger May 2, 1981 in Wapella, IL. Survivors include her mother, Donelda Karr, Clinton, IL; husband, Bob Ballenger, Clinton, IL; children: Staci Ballenger, Clinton, IL; Chad Ballenger, Clinton, IL; grandchildren: Mackena and Jacob, Clinton, IL; siblings: Darla (David) Nelson, Clinton, IL; and Shelly (Brad) Kemp, Bloomington, IL. She was preceded in death by her father.

Tami worked at Ameren Illinois, Decatur for 25 years. Online condolences may be made at www.calvertmemorial. com Ballenger PANA Debra Denise Bland, 63, of Pana passed away Wednesday, May 30, 2018 in Decatur Memorial Hospital. She was born May 27, 1955 in Pana, daughter of the late Robert Dorothy (Sanders) Lawrence. Debra lived her entire life in the Herrick Pana areas.

She was a homemaker and a member of Christ Tabernacle, Herrick. Debra loved her Savior, Jesus Christ. She had an unconditional love for her family, and her grandchildren were her greatest joy. Debra lit up a room; she was joyful happy and always put others first. She enjoyed flowers, reading, sewing, cooking, deer hunting horseback riding.

Debra married Michael Bland on September 28, 1991 in Pana and he survives in Pana, along with children: Michael (Johnna) Bland, Golden, CO; Brian (Jenny) Bland, Las Vegas, NV; Daniel (Kristol) Bland, Pana, IL; Valerie Bland, Chicago, IL; Craig (Megan) Karnes, Decatur, IL; Trent (Jeni) Karnes, Pana, IL; Jordan (Ashley) Karnes, Pana, IL; grandchildren: Spencer, Ireland, Tyler, Sydney, Raegan, Mario, Madison, Arianne, Jade, Kody, Kaitlin, Chloe, Kandis, Memphis, Brooklyn, Tenley, Kennedy, and coming soon, Grange; great grandchildren: Vann, Lennox, Brynn; and siblings: Mike Lawrence, Findlay, IL; Glen (Rhonda) Lawrence, Herrick, IL; Leslie Lawrence, Shelbyville, IL; Jim (Cindy) Lawrence, Oconee, IL In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Roger Lawrence. Funeral services will be held Monday, June 4, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in Christ Tabernacle, Herrick with Bishop Thomas Suey Pastor Jereme Suey officiating. Burial will be in Linwood Cemetery, Pana. Visitation will be Sunday, June 3, 2018 from 4 to 7 in the church.

Memorials in honor may be made to M.A.P.S (Mid-America Preparatory School), P.O. Box 300, Herrick, IL 62431 and will be accepted by McCracken-Dean Funeral Home, who is assisting the family. www.mdfh.com Thornell DECATUR Steven Ray Thornell, 43, of Decatur, IL passed away on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. A graveside service to honor life will be held at 1:30 on Monday, June 4, 2018 at Macon County Memorial Park Cemetery, Harristown, IL. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from on Monday at Dawson Wikoff West Wood Street Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be directed to choice. Steven was born on February 25, 1975 in Shelbyville, IL, the son of Michael E. and Deborah Thornell. Steven was a truck driver for 23 years and enjoyed drawing and writing stories. He is survived by his parents; son: Johnothan R.

Stanley of Decatur, IL; brothers: Patrick Hebdon of Birmingham, AL, Bradley Thornell of Decatur, IL, Christopher W. (Sarah) Thornell Sr. of Decatur, IL and Nicholas W. (Rachel) Thornell of Decatur, IL; sister: Jill (Chelsea II) McCoy of Decatur, IL; numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter: Amber Jo Thornell, brother: Quentin Thornell and his sister: Sarah Thornell.

Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www. FUNERALS PENDING BEAN Teddy 76, Decatur, died Thursday (May 31, 2018). Funeral Home. DILIBERTO Rena Ruth, 76, Clinton, died Thursday (May 31, 2018). Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton.

KECK Dorothy, 95, Decatur, died Friday (June 1, 2018). Funeral Home. FUNERALS TODAY DIXON Rodney Eugene, 64, Decatur, 11 a.m. in Life Changers Church. GARVER V.

Maxine, 97, Cerro Gordo, 1 in Cerro Gordo Church of the Brethren. HAMPTON Bettie, 82, Decatur, 10 a.m. in First Christian Church. HASTINGS Michael 65, St. Joseph, 11 a.m.

in Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, St. Joseph. MENDENALL Paul 79, Decatur, 10 a.m. in Dawson Wikoff North Chapel. SCHMIDT Reba Irene, 89, Decatur, 2 in Plummer Funeral Home, Litchfield.

TAYLOR Percilla, 51, Decatur, noon in Greater Northside Missionary Baptist Church. TONNIGES Gale 79, York, 2 First United Methodist Church, York, Neb. WELLS Ronda Gail, 54, Decatur, 10 a.m. in Mount Gilead Cemetery. BIRTHS Decatur Memorial BLISSIT Cashmere J.

and Christina E. Sarver, Decatur, boy, May 29. MAJOR Shane and Molly (Pistorius), Decatur, boy, May 29. WEAVER Jesse John and Andrea Jones, Decatur, boy, May 30. ASSOCIATED PRESS NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Darius Rucker and Kane Brown are sharing a chart record as the first two solo acts who are also minorities to follow each other with No. 1 country songs in the 28-year history of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. According to Billboard, Brown, who is biracial, had a two-week No. 1 with and Rucker, who is black, followed him with his single, The First on the chart dated June 2. The chart, which digitally measures airplay, began in 1990.

wanted to be involved in and make country music be cause I loved said Rucker in a statement. be making history, especially with my little brother Kane Brown, is incredible and a great, added Rucker got his first country No. 1 Think I Think About in 2008, which was also followed at the top by Kenny song Wants to Go to with reggae group The Wailers. Meanwhile this is just the latest chart record for newcomer Brown, who is the only artist in Billboard history to top all ve country charts simultaneously. He hit No.

1 on Top Country Albums, Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Songs charts. always tried to make the music that I liked, and that I knew my fans would like, and have tried to stay true to that, and I am such a big fan of musically, that sharing anything with him feels like an Brown said in a statement. But prior to the current Billboard chart, other minority acts have followed each other with No. 1 country singles. In 1975, Latino singers Johnny Rodriguez and Freddy Fender twice ollowed each other to the top of previous country singles chart.

Rucker, Brown make country chart history AP FILE PHOTO arius ucker performs on oda show at ock efeller Plaza in ew ork in Ma y. Country singers ucker and Kane Brown are sharing a chart record as the first two solo acts who are also minorities to follow each other with o. 1 country songs in the 28-year history of the Billboard Country a irplay chart. NICOLE WINFIELD AND EVA VERGARA Associated Press VATICAN CITY Pope Francis became the first pope to publicly denounce a of abuse and in the Catholic Church, saying Thursday he was ashamed that neither he nor Catholic leaders truly ever listened to victims as the abuse scandal spiraled. Francis said in a pastoral letter to the Chilean faithful on the eve of another weekend he will spend listening to victims of most notorious predator priest.

The letter was issued on the same day the Vatican announced its top abuse investigators were returning to Chile on a new mission. In the eight-page letter, Francis once again thanked victims for their in denouncing abuse and searching for the truth against all hopes or attempts to discredit He included himself among the guilty in failing to actually accompany victims, saying, shame I must say that we know how to listen or respond in And he spoke repeatedly of a of abuse and to the culture of abuse and the system of cover-up that allows it to perpetuate requires us to work together to generate a culture of in the way we relate to one another, power and money, he said. No other pope has publicly spoken of a culture of cover-up in the church. The Vatican has focused for the past decade on punishing abusers themselves rather than the bishops and religious superiors who moved pedophiles from parish to parish rather than reporting them to police or removing them from ministry. Pope Benedict XVI, credited with turning the Vatican ar ound on the abuse issue, chastised Irish bishops in 2010 for their inadequate to abuse cases.

But he never spoke of a whole system of power designed to protect molesters and shun victims. Victims and their advocates have long pointed to the culture of the silencing and dis crediting of victims, the effort to avoid scandal and the reflexive aim to safeguard the interests and reputation of the church at all as the main failure in dealing with the problem. Francis apparently came around to their view after meeting with Chilean victims of the Rev. Fernando Karadima and reading a report prepared for him by Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu, who spent nearly two weeks in Chile interviewing victims of Karadima and others. The Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Thursday that Sci cluna and Bertomeu were returning to Chile in the coming days on a mission to the diocese of Osorno to help the church there heal from the scandal.

Osorno has been badly divided ever since Francis in 2015 tapped Bishop Juan Barros to lead the diocese over the objections of some of other bishops. Barros had been a top Karadima lieutenant and had been accused by victims of having witnessed and ignored their abuse. Barros denied the charge, but he was one of the 30-plus Chilean bishops who submitted their resignations to the pope after Francis summoned them to Rome for a dressing down and briefing on the Scicluna report. Juan Carlos Claret, a spokes man for a group of lay Catholics in Osorno, said the visit was least we could hope given that the pope himself was responsible for problems. He recalled that Francis appointed Barros over the objections of Osorno faithful and ome of bishops, and then kept him there despite three years of protests.

appreciate the gesture, but we know why Claret said. Over the past three years, Barros twice offered to resign but Francis twice refused to accept it, blaming the opposition to him on in Osorno. Francis has admitted he made errors in in the Barros case, but he blamed his missteps on a of truthful and balanced that reached him. He revealed who provided him with the bad information. The pope is widely expected to accept resignation the third time around, along with the other Karadima-trained bishops and an unknown number of other diocesan bishops.

Presumably, after meeting with Catholic community, Scicluna and Bertomeu will be able to report back to Francis on the pastoral needs of the diocese and the profile of a new bishop. Never again: Pope denounces of abuse, ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOS Catholic Priests Fernando amos, left, and Juan Ignacio Gonzalez, spok espersons for the piscopal Conference, speak to the press about a letter from Pope Francis in Santiago, Chile, hursday. Pope Francis waves to faithful as he leaves at the end of the weekly general audience in St. Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday..